# Taste of pipe tobacco



## SolidSnake93 (Jan 3, 2012)

Howdy Forum!

I am new to the forum and have had some dificulty smoking my pipe. Ever since I have been smoking my pipes I have been smoking aromatic pipe tobacco, so far the tobaccos have had a bland/ bitter taste, and a strange after taste aswell. I have also smoked several cigars and I have found that with cigars I get a nice smooth taste. Granted that most of the aromatic tobacco I have had have been drug store tobacco, but I have smoked only one kind of aromatic tobacco from a tobaccanist which was a brand that they make, and I got the same result from the tobaccanist brand tobacco as well. Do all aromatics do this? Am I doing something wrong? Am I packing, lighting, or smoking my pipe wrong? Or is it the selection of tobacco the culperit? Are Virginia or English blends better, and should I just switch to those for a better experience? Sorry for so many questions.

Thanks in advance!


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## xmx (Oct 17, 2011)

I'm pretty new to pipes as well. I think that coming from smoking cigars, most aromatics will be a let down. I almost gave up on pipes thinking it was all flavorless. I've tried a few Balkans now and changed my mind. I'm liking stuff heavy in latakia, it doesn't taste like cigars, but gives a volume of flavor more like cigars. I'd say try a few more natural blends before you give up.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

You need some stronger tobacco that is designed to taste like tobacco instead of blueberries when burned in a pipe. Get some Royal Yacht, Irish Flake, 1792 or even Five Brothers (OTC, but harder to find). From there your tastes might broaden to the more subtle flavors of the Virginias and Virginia/Periques. Staying on the Balkan path, Nightcap might be to your liking, too.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

I don't smoke aromatics. If you like cigars,
try tobacco that tastes like tobacco. Also,
*dry *your tobacco before you smoke it.
Don't give up without a fight! 

And welcome to Puff!


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## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

Yep, try the latakia blends. They don't taste like cigars, but they certainly have a distinct flavor, love it or hate it. There are some bad aros out there and some good ones. With time, you may find you come around to some of them. Me, I've never been much into Virginias until lately. Suddenly I'm finding some sweet Virginia blends that are really too my liking.


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## Stan41 (Sep 30, 2009)

You might try Samuel Gawith Brown No. 4 rope. It is very strong and only tastes like tobacco. To me it has a little cigar taste. In fact when I go to town I think I will buy a cigar, cut it up, and smoke it in my pipe to see what it is like. You might try that.
Stan


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## szyzk (Nov 27, 2010)

+1 on the English/Balkan blends with latakia, and the stronger Virginias!


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## HugSeal (Dec 5, 2011)

First of all. Forget the notion that the tobacco will taste even remotley as much as they smell. It is a very subtle taste. The people aroundyou will probably smell it though as the room note on many aromatics is fantastic.

Some B&M tobaccos can be a bit on the wet side which can make it taste bitter when it smokes as moisture is collected at the bottom of the bowl.

It could also be that you puff too often making the pipe smoke too hot. all you taste then is smoke pretty much. The pipe should almost be going out between puffs and it is better to have to relight a couple of times than to smoke it too hot. Smoking too hot will also instantly kill the subtle flavors of an aromatic.

There are some great about packing your pipe here. I use a adapted method of the three layer version. Other people swear by the frank-method and there are many more. neither is better or worse than another. It is all about finding a method that suits you.

Tobacco can also "bite" when smoked too hot. It is basically the amonia and alkalinity in the smoke that irritates your mouth and ytounge. Try keeping a glass of something acidic, like a carbonated bevberage, at your side while smoking and see if it helps.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

SolidSnake93 said:


> Howdy Forum!
> 
> I am new to the forum and have had some dificulty smoking my pipe. Ever since I have been smoking my pipes I have been smoking aromatic pipe tobacco, so far the tobaccos have had a bland/ bitter taste, and a strange after taste aswell. I have also smoked several cigars and I have found that with cigars I get a nice smooth taste. Granted that most of the aromatic tobacco I have had have been drug store tobacco, but I have smoked only one kind of aromatic tobacco from a tobaccanist which was a brand that they make, and I got the same result from the tobaccanist brand tobacco as well. Do all aromatics do this? Am I doing something wrong? Am I packing, lighting, or smoking my pipe wrong? Or is it the selection of tobacco the culperit? Are Virginia or English blends better, and should I just switch to those for a better experience? Sorry for so many questions.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Some folks are perfectly happy with drug store or bulk aromatics (or any aromatics in general). But it sounds like they might not be for you. I would suggest starting with some english blends, and then trying some straight virginias or virgina/perique blends. Some good places to start with english/balkan blends:

GL Pease: Piccadilly, Westminster, Meridian, Caravan, Odyssey
McClelland: Samovar, Frog Morton Series, Super Syrian Balkan
C&D: Rajah's Court, Epiphany

Also, as you move in to the world of non-aromatics I think it becomes ever more important to try retrohaling:Retrohaling Your Cigar Smoke - YouTube It can greatly enhance your experience with pipe tobacco and cigars.


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## jfserama (Mar 26, 2009)

Every new pipe smoker seems to go down the same trail; they try aromatics and get frustrated with the experience, and decide they need something else. So they move on to latakia blends and find that they love those! There is flavor, taste, and the tobacco is often very forgiving of poor technique. After smoking latakias for a while, they decide to give Virginias a try (or try them again, if they didn't like them before). What do they find? It's a much more challenging smoke, as the VA is less forgiving of bad technique, but when they are smoked right they are truly amazing. Sweet, subtle, and smooth.

So, was there a point to that random observation? Kind of. My suggestion would be to try some latakia blends now. I think you will find that they are quite enjoyable. Then, after you feel like you have a good grasp on the basic pipe smoking techniques, and have started to develop your palate for pipe smoke, move on to some VA tobaccos. Maybe try some VA/latakia mixes first, and then try other styles. After you have tried the VA you can give the aromatics another shot if you want. With proper technique some of them can be pretty tasty. But most of all have fun. Pipe smoking is a relaxing event, and if you really can't enjoy it then just go back to the cigars. But in my experience, most people that try a pipe end up really enjoying it. Best of luck!


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## SolidSnake93 (Jan 3, 2012)

I want to thank you all for the advice! I'm going to buy some english blends and see how that goes. I'm just wondering has anyone had the same experience as I had with aromatics? Also I had noticed that aromatics tend to leave a wierd after taste, has any one else experienced this aswell?


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## EvoFX (Nov 11, 2008)

I would highly recommend frog morton series. good amount of flavor and latakia. perfect for beginning and something I smoke day to day. or the mcclelland dark english (to me its like the bulk version of frog morton)


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

SolidSnake93 said:


> I want to thank you all for the advice! I'm going to buy some english blends and see how that goes. I'm just wondering has anyone had the same experience as I had with aromatics? Also I had noticed that aromatics tend to leave a wierd after taste, has any one else experienced this aswell?


I'm not far into my journey with pipe smoking either but yes, I have experienced what you have as well, not drying the tobacco is often the culprit. Stay away from the aros until you have more experience as they are not for everyone and even those that enjoy them will probably only enjoy a select few. There is wealth of advice in this thread that will serve you well.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

SolidSnake93 said:


> I want to thank you all for the advice! I'm going to buy some english blends and see how that goes. I'm just wondering has anyone had the same experience as I had with aromatics? Also I had noticed that aromatics tend to leave a wierd after taste, has any one else experienced this aswell?


Many (not necessarily ALL, but many) of the "bulk blend aromatics" are simply low end tobacco chaff that is perfumed or fruited to give some sort of taste. Burning marmalade in a pipe will also give a weird taste/after-taste. "House blends", in today's world, are too often simply re-labeled bulk blends. Once upon a time tobacconists were able to ply their business without do-gooder meddling idiots howling outside their doors, and they actually "blended" smokable pipe tobacco. Today only a few B&Ms do it, 4Noggins has many of his own houseblends that are pretty good. Hence tinned tobacco tends to be considered the "high end" stuff, and is priced accordingly, and is available via online vendors that happen to be located in places where smokers are not chased down the street by sanctimonious grass-munching tree-hugging sex-less druids.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

SolidSnake93 said:


> I'm just wondering has anyone had the same experience as I had with aromatics? Also I had noticed that aromatics tend to leave a wierd after taste, has any one else experienced this aswell?


The weird taste is probably PG (propylene glycol) combined with the artificial flavorings that stick to your palette. Most of us have the exact same experience with aromatics. :lol: There are some good aromatics, but far more bad ones -- and the good ones generally cost more. I tend to use aromatics to add a slight flavor and room note to simple but strong tobacco, like Dark Birdseye or Happy Bogie, rather than smoking them straight up. Even the cheap ones, like 1Q or BCA, aren't too bad used this way.

While my original suggestion was for "strong" tobacco, since that's what it seemed you were after but missing, you might try some Prince Albert. Not much of a nicotine hit, but it is basically a good smoke and generally available in drug stores.


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## jader (Feb 22, 2011)

Here are a few things that I to ensure that the flavor of the smoke is good.

The first thing thing I found which helps improve the taste is running a pipe cleaner in the bowl and up the stem, the blowing out the pipe *before *I smoke out of the pipe. Of course, I "always" clean my pipe after I smoke a bowl, but the added cleaning goes a long way to ensure that any left over residue and the resultant ashy flavor is out of the way.

Another thing that is important is not overheating the tobacco during lighting. I find that a good tasting bowl is also dependent on how aggressive my lighting is. Use only wooden matches for a while; the flame is super soft and I find it hard to "over heat" the tobacco during the charing and final light. Someone told me to ensure that the flame only kisses the tobacco as I inhale, and this really does set a good visual for how the flame should dance off the tobacco when you lighting your bowl.

Another good thing to try is read, whittle, drive or generally do something relaxing while you are smoking, I find my smokes are much better flavored when my hands, eyes and/or brain is/are otherwise occupied. The effect for me is that it slows my pace, and I tend to sip the pipe at a regular cadence, as opposed to concentrated tokes every 20 seconds (or whatever it happens to be).

Finally, I do not like carbonated beverages when I smoke my pipe. If you are drinking for the purpose of smoking the pipe, I find that a good herbal tea with a citrus flavor works wonders to cleanse the palate. I do enjoy coffee and I have to admit that tumbler with some ice and a nice Irish or Scotch whiskey is my preferred accouterment.


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## SolidSnake93 (Jan 3, 2012)

Thanks again! I just have one last question. I'm planing on buying another pipe for more pure blends such as Virginias and English blends, since I've only used aromatics in my pipe and I'm wondering if I can use the new pipe and smoke both the english and the virginias, or should I buy seperat pipes for each kind of blend?

P.S. Sorry for asking so many questions.


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## mmiller (Nov 17, 2011)

SolidSnake93 said:


> Thanks again! I just have one last question. I'm planing on buying another pipe for more pure blends such as Virginias and English blends, since I've only used aromatics in my pipe and I'm wondering if I can use the new pipe and smoke both the english and the virginias, or should I buy seperat pipes for each kind of blend?
> 
> P.S. Sorry for asking so many questions.


You should have a separate pipe for english blends because after you smoke one you can taste the ghost of latakia in whatever you smoke after it. For me aromatics genrally dont effect the taste of my virginia blends but that is just me, some people just grab a pipe and grab some tobacco and smoke whatever and then there are others who have pipes dedicated to just one tobacco. In the end it is all up to you, try it out and see what you think of it.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

RJpuffs said:


> ...do-gooder meddling idiots howling outside their doors...
> ...sanctimonious grass-munching tree-hugging sex-less druids...


But tell us how you _really_ feel, Ron ound:


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

SolidSnake93 said:


> Thanks again! I just have one last question. I'm planing on buying another pipe for more pure blends such as Virginias and English blends, since I've only used aromatics in my pipe and I'm wondering if I can use the new pipe and smoke both the english and the virginias, or should I buy seperat pipes for each kind of blend?
> 
> P.S. Sorry for asking so many questions.


That really depends on you. Many people find that latakia (and to a lesser extent, perique) will "ghost" a pipe, and if you smoke a straight virginia after an english blend in the same pipe you'll taste/smell the latakia. Personally, I never have that problem. I smoke every blend I like in whichever pipe I feel like, and never have a problem with ghosting. But, I do smoke mainly english blends; I do rotate my pipes a lot, so they get lots of rest/air time between smokes, and I keep them pretty clean. The way I see it, you have to try each blend you buy in each pipe you own at some point, or you could miss out on a pipe that really makes that blend sing.

For the time being, so you can develop your palate for different blends, I'd keep english blends in a seperate pipe. But over the long haul it will be up to you to decide whether to keep pipe dedicated solely to one type of blend.


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